Despite United Nations sanctions banning the import of luxury goods to North Korea, Kim Jong Un appears to have acquired a new luxury vehicle. Photographs released by state-controlled media show the North Korean leader standing next to a Mercedes Maybach GLS 600, a high-end SUV. The vehicle was observed emerging from Kim Jong Un’s armoured train on August 9, 2024, during his visit to flood-affected areas in Uiju County, North Pyongan Province.
The Mercedes-Maybach GLS 600 is a top-class model recently launched in South Korea, with prices ranging from $175,500 to $227,400 (approximately ₹1.9 crore). Kim Jong Un’s car collection already includes a Rolls Royce Phantom, a Mercedes-Maybach S600 Guard, a fifth-generation US-made Cadillac Escalade, and a Lexus armoured vehicle. This luxury fleet exists despite the UN’s restrictions on North Korea’s procurement of high-end goods, which have been in place since 2006 in response to Pyongyang’s nuclear tests.
In a related note, Russian President Vladimir Putin, on a rare overseas trip, visited Pyongyang in June 2024. During this visit, Putin and Kim Jong Un were seen driving in a Russian-made Aurus limousine, which was gifted to Kim earlier in March 2024.